GT's best dishes of 2012: David Sly

Author: David Sly
Photography: John Kruger

8:32AM, Nov 21, 2012

1. Sashimi tuna and radish, Celsius
Pretty presentation has become an art form, but this is the most
beautiful dish I've seen plated in a long while, a complex sashimi
and radish entrée (pictured left) assembled by chef Ayhan Erkoc in
a way that's truly elegant -
if such a thing can be said about tuna. Celsius, 95-97 Gouger St, Adelaide, SA, (08)
8231 6023

2. Whole carved duck, Mantra on King William Following the revival of chateaubriand, chef Tom Reid
also started serving boards carrying whole carved duck to the
table. It combined value, generosity and great flavour with a bit
of service theatre -
and some starter shots of intense duck broth. I ate the dish in
June, just as the weather was getting cold, and it was perfect. It
stayed on the menu through winter, then strangely disappeared soon
before the restaurant closed. But it was a gem and I'd love it to
be remembered.

3. Blood sausage and parmesan empanadas, Azafrán A modern spin on traditional Argentinean food by chef
Pablo Ranea has him serving a trio of clever empanadas: sweetbread
and mushroom, chorizo and onion, and blood sausage and
parmesan -
matched respectively to tasting glasses of torrontés, malbec and
petit verdot. Azafrán, Sarmiento 765, Mendoza, Argentina, +54
261 429 4200
4. Steamed baby squid with squid dumpling, pearl barley tabbouleh
and samphire, The Elbow Room This is a smart embrace of locality and freshness. Chef
Nigel Rich has the fishing contacts in the neighbouring Gulf St
Vincent to get great fresh baby squid, which he steams and serves
with drops of Bloody Mary foam, squid ink sauce made from a reduced
fish broth, a crisp squid dumpling and local samphire. The Elbow
Room, Cnr Stump Hill & Main Rds, McLaren Vale, SA, (08)
8323 8686

6. Ojo de bife, La Cabrera The king of mod bistro-style steakhouses in Buenos Aires
continues to get it absolutely right. The meat portions are
uniformly huge, so it's best to share this juicy 600gm ojo de bife,
carved at the table with a spoon. This is the happy marriage of
tenderness and intense meaty flavour. La
Cabrera, 5127 Cabrera St, Buenos Aires, Argentina, +54 11 4832
5754

9. Porcini, brodo and egg, Vincenzo's Cucina
Vera Vincenzo LaMontagna found out about the very first tiny
crop of porcini mushrooms that sprouted in the Adelaide Hills last
year and snaffled a few for his restaurant guests, to an
overwhelming response. This March, LaMontagna laid hands on some
more, and so diners who arrived for his unscripted nightly
dégustation menu got to enjoy these intensely flavoured porcini
only a few hours after they were picked. LaMontagna wanted to let
the earthy flavours of these potent mushrooms do all the talking,
so he simply allowed them to drink up some concentrated chicken
stock, complemented by the contrasting soft ooze of a slow-poached
egg. Luscious and intense, the flavours lingered as long and true
as a fine Barolo. Vincenzo's Cucina Vera, 77 Unley Rd,
Parkside, SA, (08) 8271 1000